Farmers in Enugu State have expressed satisfaction and gratitude for the distribution of agro inputs and equipment provided by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

The Federal Government, through the agriculture ministry, distributed these inputs to small-scale farmers in Enugu on Thursday.

The items provided included herbicides, fertilizers, knapsack sprayers, solar water pumps, oil palm chisels, growth enhancers for rice, organic fertilizers for cassava, and water pumps, among others.

These supplies were given to farmers categorized under commodity associations, cooperative groups, farmers with special needs, and Internally Displaced Persons.

According to BusinessDay, a beneficiary and Chairman of the Graduate Farmers Association, Enugu, Patrick Mbah, thanked the ministry for the gesture but urged the Federal Government to urgently address the issues of herders allowing their cattle to graze on people’s farms.

Mbah disclosed that his members lost 200 hectares of rice to herdsmen in 2024, noting that the inputs received would help to cushion the effect of their losses. Mr. Mbah assured the ministry that the association would put the items to proper use.

Another beneficiary, Mr. Benedict Ekwochi, the Vice-Chairman of the People with Disabilities Farmers in Enugu, expressed his overwhelming gratitude, describing the inputs as “powerful empowerment.

Mr. Ekwochi welcomed the development, stating that the inputs would significantly help boost farming in the state, adding: “The inputs will boost our production next year.”

Distributing the items, the Minister of Agriculture, Abubakar Kyari, stated that the exercise was part of the ministry’s program aimed at increasing agricultural production, ensuring food security, and mitigating food crises across the country.

He emphasized that the present administration is fully committed to developing the agricultural sector to improve agricultural and rural productivity, as well as to achieve the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly the goal of achieving zero hunger.

Mr. Kyari added that the Federal Government is dedicated to creating synergies with non-governmental organizations and the private sector to enhance food security, noting that this strategy would also boost economic growth and reduce poverty.

The Minister stressed that, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the Federal Government had already declared a national state of emergency on food security in July 2023.